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City Buzz: Holiday tips, burglaries, and arrests in Burbank

The Thanksgiving feast is just getting underway, but holiday shopping is on the minds of many. As the stores, shops, and malls prepare for the kick-off of the Christmas shopping season — and some bargain hunters get ready to head out hunting for those Black Friday specials — the Burbank Police Department has some holiday safety tips: like do not wear expensive jewelry, or carry large sums of cash, and remember, do not leave packages and valuables in plain sight in your vehicle — put them in the trunk. More tips on crime prevention and how not to be a victim this holiday season here.

Car Burglaries

Keep an eye on your ride! Vehicle burglaries still a problem in the Media City. In a recent crime report from the Burbank PD, dated November 19, 2012, there were several vehicle break-ins, from North Screenland Drive to North Naomi Street to Victory Place to West Linden Avenue. The thieves burglarized vehicles in underground structures, parking lots, in garages, and on the street. They got away with several thousand dollars in loot including computer equipment, cellphones, clothing, sunglasses, books, and auto parts.

Mother arrested

A 21-year-old mother is behind bars today in connection with the death of her five-week-old infant. Last month, Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles notified Burbank Police that the infant was being treated there for multiple broken bones. Authorities say: “It appeared the broken bones were a result of possible child abuse.”

On November 9, the child was taken off life support and died from those injuries. Burbank Police arrested Elizabeth Carter yesterday morning. She was booked on a child abuse charge and is being held on $130,000 bail. Carter is due in court on Tuesday, November 27. The baby’s father, 19-year-old Matthew Wojcik, was arrested earlier and the charges against him now include murder and child abuse resulting in death.

Custody exchange turns violent

A 48-year-old man is being on $1, 000, 000 bail today after a custody exchange incident ended in violence. It happened near San Fernando Boulevard and Buena Vista Street yesterday at around 8 a.m. Trino Godinez reportedly got into his ex-wife’s vehicle, pulled a handgun, and began to assault the woman with their two children in the back seat. When the vehicle came to a stop, the woman jumped and and ran for help. Godinez then chased the victim and reportedly attacked her with a knife. Heroic witnesses came to the woman’s aid, but Godinez fought with them. The “Good Samaritans” managed to hold down Godinez until police arrived and took him into custody.

Godinez sustain some injuries during the struggle with the witnesses. Both the victim and the suspect were taken to the hospital. The woman is in stable condition. Godinez is now facing attempted murder, kidnapping, carjacking, domestic violence and child abuse.

About Fronnie Lewis

Fronnie Lewis is the founder, publisher, and editor of Media City Groove. She is a journalist with a B.A. degree in communication from Stanford University and more than 25 years’ experience as a staff newswriter in the NBC-4 newsroom here in the Southland. She decided to go freelance in 2004. Three years later she caught the blogging bug.
An editor for the trailblazing, but now defunct community website run by the Los Angeles Daily News, Valleynews.com, asked Fronnie to write some posts. She soon became a featured blogger on the site and discovered she had a knack for photography. Her blog was called "Web Writer." Several of Fronnie's photos, as well as some of her news and feature posts/articles, were picked up and published in the print edition of the Daily News. In 2008, she started her own blog/website, which morphed into Media City Groove.
For more than 30 years, Fronnie has called Burbank/Media City home. She loves its mixed vibe -- from small town to the “Media Capital of the World”. Truly, a place like no other.

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